The main reason for building large optical telescopes on Earth's surface is

The main reason for building large optical telescopes on Earth's surface is
 
  a. that there is a lot of money in science that needs to get spent.
  b. to collect as much light as possible from faint objects.
  c. to nullify the blurring effects of the Earth's atmosphere and thus produce higher resolution images.
  d. to bring astronomical objects closer to make them brighter.
  e. that the warm temperatures of the Earth's surface allow for easier telescope operation.

Question 2

What is the total mass of a binary star system with P = 20 yr and a = 10 AU?
 
  a. 2 solar masses
  b. 2.5 solar masses
  c. 0.5 solar mass
  d. 80 solar masses
  e. 0.4 solar mass

Question 3

Which of the following sequences of electromagnetic radiation is correct in order of increasing energy?
 
  a. gamma rays, X-rays, infrared, radio
  b. radio, microwave, gamma rays, UV
  c. visible, UV, X-rays, gamma rays
  d. visible, microwave, radio, infrared
  e. infrared, visible, radio, X-rays

Question 4

An eclipsing binary has been analyzed and it has been determined that the ratio of the mass of star A to the mass of star B is 6 and the total mass of the two stars is 26 solar masses. What are the masses of star A and star B?
 
  a. Star A has a mass of 1 solar mass and star B has a mass of 6 solar masses.
  b. Star A has a mass of 20 solar mass and star B has a mass of 6 solar masses.
  c. Star A has a mass of 31.2 solar mass and star B has a mass of 5.2 solar masses.
  d. Star A has a mass of 22.3 solar mass and star B has a mass of 3.7 solar masses.
  e. The masses of star A and star B cannot be determined from the information given.